What’s the most common complaint you hear from people who fear their quality of life will be adversely affected by new developments in their neighbourhood?  Answer: “We knew nothing at all about this – it has come as a complete shock!”

In its almost 50-page report titled New Towns: Creating Communities, the House of Lords Built Environment Committee recognises the problem of failing to keep neighbours and stakeholders informed of a plan - and suggests the solution.

The truth, of course, far from the shady deal the headline suggests, was that a perfectly decent proposal eventually proved so uncontroversial, and so policy-compliant, that a council’s planning officers were able to approve it under delegated powers this month (March 2026).

Managing expectations is a key political skill and Chancellor Rachel Reeves had already dialled down any potential excitement about her Spring Statement, even before she set off from Downing Street for the House of Commons.  In the event what happened in the Chamber was even less dramatic than most of us had been expecting.

As a communications consultancy focused on delivering for clients in the land and property sectors, KOR Communications rarely spends time reflecting on its own journey.

But with 2026 marking the 20^th anniversary of the business we thought it was time to look back on our two decades of growth, celebrate the successes, acknowledge the challenges and set out some ambitions for the future.

With growing concerns over the potential lifetime burden of repaying a student loan, an increasing number of young people are considering alternatives to a university education at 18+ - alternatives that will give them the same flying start in their careers.

The proportion of electricity generated by renewables in Britain hit a new record high in 2025. But there is still a big gap between where we are now and the Government’s target of 95% of electricity generated from non-fossil fuels by 2030 – just four years away.

Former NFU President Minette Batters deliberately and sensibly concentrated on core agricultural practices in her detailed and extremely well-researched Farm Profitability Review, commissioned by the Government last April and finally published on Thursday December 18th.

KOR Communications, based in Exeter for almost twenty years, is proud to be among supporters of the first major building project at Exeter Cathedral for 500 years. 

Businesses based on land and property ownership were among the losers in the Chancellor’s Budget this week (November 26) with a rise in the tax on income earned from property among the biggest blows for landowners. 

International Project Management Day, on November 6 2025, is a celebration of the economic and social value of projects and the people who deliver them. KOR Communications provides support for rural and urban schemes, helping landowners and managers get projects, from new housing to renewable energy developments, over the line.

A thorough communications and engagement strategy undertaken by KOR Communications helped golf course owners Longshot III Ltd. secure planning permission for the reinvigoration of three golf clubs, including two within National Parks.

Members of the CLA had an opportunity to hear her speak at the Devon AGM in September, hosted by Geoff and Zoe Sayers at Carswell Farm, Holbeton in South Devon

Donald Trump’s views on renewable energy and his support for the continued use of fossil fuels are well-known. 

But expressing those highly negative views in Scotland, which hosts a significant number of wind turbines generating electricity for the UK, has added new impetus to the debate on the visual impact and effectiveness of wind power and renewables more generally.

Labour marked its first year in office on July 4th against a background of rebellious backbench MPs, a weeping Chancellor of the Exchequer and some of the lowest poll ratings for Sir Keir Starmer ever recorded for a Prime Minister.

Dubbed as the ‘Glastonbury of the built environment’ the UK Real Estate and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) hosted 16,000 delegates in Leeds last week – including KOR’s Senior Public Affairs Consultant, Grace Gladding.

It is essential that landowners and developers, with a vital part to play in meeting those challenges, build and maintain good relationships with all stakeholders, including local authorities and their elected members. 

For landowners, the proposed Land Use Framework offers both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge because it may impose restrictions on how Estates and farmers can manage their land.

Large parts of rural Britain are feeling deeply unloved by the Government after the publication of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill promised a cut in the value of compulsorily purchased development land and the Sustainable Farming Incentive was summarily scrapped.

The perennial concern of landowners across the country is that so much of the good work they do goes unrecognised - but if they undertake a project considered in the least bit controversial complaints come flying in.

There has been a flurry of announcements from the Government since its July election victory on the subject of solving the housing crisis.